Who are the declared candidates running for president in 2024?
10. Ron DeSantis
Update: Ron DeSantis suspended his campaign on Jan. 21 and endorsed Trump.
After months of speculation, Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis officially joined the race for the Republican nomination last May. DeSantis finished a distant second in the Iowa caucuses, capturing 21.2% of the vote.
DeSantis elaborates on his plans for leading a “Great American Comeback,” which he laid out in his announcement video, on his website. Condemning Biden’s “inflationary policies that are hurting working people,” he vowed to “reverse those policies and build an economy where working Americans can achieve a good standard of living.”
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On issues related to immigration, DeSantis signaled his intention to “shut down the border, construct a border wall, and hold the drug cartels accountable.” The agenda outlined on his website repeatedly touches on the dangers of “woke ideology” and includes a call to replace the “woke mind virus with reality, facts, and enduring principles.”
The candidate provided a concrete example of the extent of the “woke mind virus,” noting how “revered institutions like our own military are more concerned with matters not central to the mission — from global warming to gender ideology and pronouns.” He declared that “we need to eliminate these distractions and get focused on the core mission.”
“We will never surrender to the woke mob and we will leave woke ideology in the dustbin of history,” he added. DeSantis contrasted his position on “woke ideology” with that of the incumbent president, lamenting that “Biden has allowed woke ideology to drive his agenda” and “takes his cues from the woke mob.”
DeSantis touted electability as his pitch to Republican primary voters. “If you nominate me, you can set your clock to January 20, 2025, at high noon because on the west side of the US Capitol, I will be taking the oath of office as the 47th president of the United States,” he predicted. DeSantis’ entry into the race comes six months after he won re-election as governor of Florida by 19.4 percentage points as Republican candidates in other swing states came up short.
DeSantis has secured 9 delegates at the Republican National Convention based on his performance in the Iowa caucuses. He has won 1.69% of the popular vote in the Republican primary.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
